MTFCA Forum

Hello,
I have an early 1914 touring with a two piece drive shaft that has been restored close to original. It does not have any performance enhancements, but it does have Rocky Mountain brakes. There are times when I have passengers and I am climbing long grades the car needs a gear in between high and low because it only has 20hp. There are also times when I am driving off road I really need to move slowly.
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I decided that a Ruckstell would work well because it would solve my need for some extra gears in the lower range and I could mount the shift lever off to the side next to the brake lever. Then I started reading about the Warford transmission and wondering if I should consider it instead. Overall I have 3 concerns about the Warford. The first is that I have a two piece driveshaft and it needs to be modified to fit the Warford and I don't know if this is an issue. The second is that I really don't want a shift lever in the middle of the floor. The last is that my car is stock and I don't think it would have enough horsepower to pull the car in a higher gear. I usually don't like going over 40 mph in my Model T anyway.
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Any thoughts on these issues?
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I love this forum because so many people take the time to share their knowledge and experience about maintaining a 100+ year old machine. The information posted here will help keep these old machines running long after all of us are gone.

You are certainly not going to cut a VALUABLE 2 piece drive shaft tube! Find a spare 1 piece to cut.
You may want to put in 4-1 gears. extra extra low for stump pulling & plenty of speed in your desired range in OD.
I agree, a stick in the middle of the floorboards wouldnt be my bag. I went with a rux & left shifter.
I wanted to stay most original looking, so I used the stock riveted housing on the right & a 15(smooth backing plate) for the left housing.

I agree, a stick in the middle of the floorboards wouldnt be my bag. I went with a rux & left shifter.

Does the left shifter fit in the same slot as the hand brake lever, or does it require adapting the floorboard and mat?

Steve Jelf wrote: ↑

Thu May 18, 2023 11:51 am

I agree, a stick in the middle of the floorboards wouldnt be my bag. I went with a rux & left shifter.

Does the left shifter fit in the same slot as the hand brake lever, or does it require adapting the floorboard and mat?

My normal setup adds another parking brake lever unit behind the existing one. Does require extending the opening back an inch or so.

On my 14, I didnt want to drill extra frame holes, so I built a U channel adapter to pick up the existing parking brake mount. This put the shift lever directly to the left of the original parking brake lever. The floor slot was widened. Up side : no extra holes. Down side: narrowing of drivers foot room.

Brian, Back in the 1970's, I bought a restored 1916 touring from a seller in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It had BOTH a Warford and a Ruckstell in it giving (along with the Ford 2 speed) an amazing 12 forward gears (2 x 3 x 2) In Ford Low, Warford Low, and Ruckstell Low, I could literally let the Ford trans shift into High and then i could get out of the car and walk completely around it without any fear of the car running away from me. In Ford High, Warford O/D, and Ruckstell high (Direct, same as Ford High), it was the fastest T (out of 7) that I've had. It was a blast.

For an essentially stock T, a Ruckstell is the best bet. 20 HP doesn't need and overdrive and Ruckstell underdrive is a better match than Warford underdrive. Ruckstell is also easier to shift into underdrive (gracefully) than a Warford.

Many of the pre16 guys maintain a more stock looking appearance than with a rux by installing a driveshaft transmission.
Moore, Planetor, Rocky mountain 6 speed & the like.

I really value the Warford UD and OD gearing but sometimes would like to hide the gear shift when explaining how to operate the T. I'm always quick to point out about the many after market parts offered for the T's back in the day with the Warford being one of them, It's always a good time to tell about that old farmer having to hold down the low pedal all the way up that long grade.
To me the advantage of both low and higher gears out weigh the modifications.

YMMV

I ran a planetor in my '14 with the shift lever in the slot with the hand brake. When I moved to Florida I no longer needed it for hill climbing so I so I put it in my '27 that lives in the mountains. The intermediate gear is great for hill climbing and the low, low is great for parades, pulling stumps and loading into the trailer. When I originally got the planetor I set it up with with a later large drum rear, drive shaft and radius rods so I can move it from car to car if I want to by just undoing the ball cap, shackles and brake rods. That way the original set up in both the '14 and '27 were unmolested.

I have a Warford in my 1915 Touring and love it. If you want to drive in the 40 to 45mph range the Warford makes this very possible and the engine will not be overworked in anyway. With a Warford you get the best of all three worlds as you have low original and high gearing. If I am going under 35 I use stock or number 2 and overdrive or 3 when going over 35. Underdrive is not used much as I live in a somewhat flat area but it makes parades great and I use it when pulling into my building as I feel I have more control. The Warford is not cheep but if you have the money it's worth it.

Ron

Hi Bryan,
Did anyone mention if your engine is stock it would be a good ideab to use a 10 tooth pinion if you go with the Warford so you don't have too
high of a final drive in OD. Like Ronald said it will give you a good ratio if your touring below 35mph & OD will be good for the faster tours.
I have a Muncie in my firetruck with a 11 tooth pinion that's too high for a heavy unit. First chance I get theres a 10 tooth going in it.
Craig.